Sparking Change: The Official Podcast of Berks County Community Foundation

Berks in the Spotlight

Access to reliable, regional news is the oxygen communities breathe. Local, investigative reporting improves civic engagement and helps residents make informed decisions. Spotlight PA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to high-quality investigative journalism for Pennsylvania state government, who launched a Berks Bureau in 2025. Spotlight PA’s Community Forums Program is an extension of this investigative work. Focused on topics that matter to the community, this interactive and educational program has helped bring the Tec Centro Workforce Network to Berks County. To subscribe to Spotlight PA’s Berks Bureau newsletter, access free, investigative reporting on Berks County, and attend a Community Forum, visit https://www.spotlightpa.org/berks/. Have a story you’d like to share with Spotlight PA? Visit https://www.spotlightpa.org/tips or call +1 717-418-9684 to submit a tip. To learn more about Berks County Community Foundation, visit https://bccf.org/. You can get in contact with the Community Foundation by emailing us at info@bccf.org or calling 610-685-2223.

Berks for School, for Good

Chad Ganley, Assistant Director of Career Development at Kutztown University, and Katie Diamond Rothstein, Generation Impact Program Director at VOiCEup Berks, join the Sparking Change podcast to discuss student retention in Berks County. The idea to increase employment and internship opportunities, as well as community engagement for recently graduated college students, originated from an initiative led by Kim Sheffer, Lifelong Learning Program Officer for Berks County Community Foundation. You can connect with the foundation by emailing info@bccf.org [info@bccf.org], calling at 610-685-2223, or visiting www.bccf.org [http://www.bccf.org]. Chad Ganley can be reached by emailing ganley@kutztown.edu [ganley@kutztown.edu] Katie Diamond Rothstein can be reached by emailing katie@voiceupberks.org [katie@voiceupberks.org]

What's Up with Plastic, Berks?

Emily Smedley, Environment and Energy Program Officer, hosts a conversation with representatives from What'SUP Berks, a local initiative whose mission is to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of Single-Use Plastic (SUP) bags in all stores, restaurants, and businesses in Berks County by 2027. By providing educational opportunities, engaging with community leaders, and encouraging the use of reusable bags, What'SUP Berks hopes to ultimately help pass legislation banning SUP in the Commonwealth. Listen to the episode now to learn about the environmental, health, and financial repercussions SUP has on the Berks community--and how you can join the fight against SUP. Tom Crotty, Executive Team Member, and Linda Dapcic-Angst, Treasurer of What'SUP Berks, join the conversation.

Social Services in Rural Libraries

Cindy Milian, Health & Human Services Program Officer, hosts a conversation with representatives from United Way of Berks County, Friend, Inc., Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library and Hamburg Public Library. Together, the group discusses the need for social services in our rural libraries, what it means to meet people where they are, and the foundation's newest initiative.